1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools for sanding a surface and, more specifically, to a sanding sponge constructed of a cellular foam material. The application further relates to a sanding sponge kit which includes a sanding sponge, a hand sander base, and a pole sander head, the sponge being removably attachable to either the hand sander or the pole sander.
2. Description of Related Art
Abrasive sanding tools are used in a wide variety of applications which require smoothing, cleaning, feathering, or otherwise finishing a surface. Some applications, such as sanding corners and angles of finished dry wall, require hand sanding where a user will grasp a coated abrasive sheet in their hand and apply it directly to the surface being treated. This process is often ineffective because irregular pressure, such as caused by finger. against the back side of the abrasive sheet in use, produces an irregular abraded surface, or because the surface to be treated is difficult or impossible to reach directly by hand.
In order to overcome this inefficiency, several tools which assist in the holding of an abrasive surface have been disclosed it the related art. These have included hand-held foam blocks having abrasive surfaces permanently or removably attached thereto and handle attached rigid blocks having an abrasive surface fixedly or removably attached thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,248, issued Oct. 8, 1991 to Donald R. Thayer, discloses a hand-held sanding sponge molded from flexible cellular foam into a block having an easily gripped handle on its top surface and an abrasive layer removably attached to its bottom surface. One edge of the bottom surface is acutely angle while the opposed edge is curved to allow the sanding sponge to be used on a variety of surfaces including corners and curves surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,193, issued Jul. 21, 1992 to Michael J. Demers, discloses a hand-held sanding tool adapted for abrading a surface having a specific contour. The tool has an upper portion forming an easily gripped handle and a lower portion having an abrasive surface with a predetermined profiled contour matching the configuration of a grooved wall on an automobile part.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,012, issued Dec. 21, 1976 to Reuben Ness, discloses a sanding sponge in the form of a cellular plastic cylinder having a layer of abrasive material removably secured to its bottom end with an adhesive substance. The bottom end of the sanding sponge may have a variety of curved or angled contours and the top end of the sponge may have a layer of fibrous material adhered thereto to act as a cushion for the users hand and to be used to remove dust from the surface being treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,139, issued May 13, 1980 to In S. Hong and Glen E. Roelofs, discloses a hand-held sanding tool comprising a pad having a bottom surface adapted to have an adhesive coated abrasive sheet attached thereto and a top surface having a handle adapted to be wrapped around one or more of a users fingers to hold the pad in place on the users hand. The sanding tool of Hong et al. is intended to minimize the user""s discomfort while sanding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,597, issued May 2, 1989 to William Matechuk, discloses a handle mounted sanding tool adapted for sanding corner joints in dry wall construction. The tool has a resilient foam block which has two abrasive faces adapted to fit the contour of a corner and which is mounted on a pole-attached carrier that properly distributes the force exerted on the handle to the faces of the foam block.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,931, issued Dec. 31, 1957 to Burdette C. Houser, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,130, issued Oct. 18, 1966 to Arthur E. Nelson, also disclose handle mounted sanding tools adapted for sanding corner joints. Both tools have carriers with two faces joined at an angle that are adapted to have sandpaper wrapped therearound and secured in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,789, issued Oct. 4, 1988 to Jerome L. Amalfi, discloses a hand-held sanding tool adapted for sanding an external corner. The sanding tool of Amalfi has two opposed plates with abrasive surfaces joined at a right angle which are reciprocated by a motor in the small handle extending rearwardly from the opposed plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,876, issued Dec. 12, 1989 to David R. Henke, discloses a sanding tool for sanding a flat surface which has a hand grip which is interchangeable with a pole grip, The tool is adapted to have sandpaper wrapped around a base member and secured in place by attaching one of the grips to the top of the base member.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,884 issued Sep. 26, 1950 to H. R. Swenson discloses a sander-scraper combination having a sander block having a rectangular shape. Swiss Patent 345,435 published May, 1960 discloses a sanding block mounted to a pole sander, the block being rectangular with radially shaped ends. United Kingdom Patent Number 2,065,512 issued Jul. 1, 1981, discloses a hand tool with a handle and a blade, the blade being essentially a sanding block having sand paper wrapped around both faces and retained by clips, but no pad, the blade having a variety of shapes including rectangular and wedge shapes.
European Patent Number 315,287 published May 10,1989 discloses a hand sander including a plate or block having four symmetrically arranged holes, the sand paper extending through the holes and being clamped by tongues. United Kingdom Patent Number 2,244,945 issued Dec. 18, 1991 discloses a hand held sanding block having a flexible band of sand paper fitting snugly around the circumference of the block.
Additional patents showing sanding tools include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,391,013 and 4,399,170 (wet sander for wallboard finishing work and method of using same); U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,763 (sanding block with a kerf for securing sandpaper); U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,672 (sanding block using wedge pressure from handle member to clamp sand paper); U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,752 (sanding device with flexible straps for attachment to hand or power sander); U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,490 (sanding block with elastic members retracting 1 holding elements to retain sandpaper); and U.S. Pat. No. 5, 651,728 (ergonomic sanding block with thumb fossa and finger filisters).
Further sanding devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,627 (sanding device using a vacuum to remove dust); U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,139 (foam buffing pad for use with a power tool); U.S. Pat. No. 5, 624,305 (pole mounted vacuum sander); U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,5000 (vacuum attachment for a sander); U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,675 (trowel with handle secured to blade by tongue and groove joint); U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,681 (sanding pad for attachment to power sander); U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,797 (manual sander using sandpaper); U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,402 (sanding device with handle removably attached to base); U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,719 (sanding pad retained on a pole by hook and loop fastening material, but does not teach resilient pad) ; U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,310 (sandinc attachment for an oscillating sander); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,000 (scraper attachment for a power sander).
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either single or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is a sanding sponge primarily intended to be used for sanding angles and corners of finished dry wall The sanding sponge is a body formed from a resilient foam material having an abrasive disposed on its bottom and side surfaces. The sanding sponge has a distinctive shape, the resilient foam body being formed in the shape of a right prism whose bases are isosceles trapezoids so that the opposed lateral faces and the bottom surface of the sanding sponge are joined at an acute angle This configuration is ideal for sanding the corners and angles of finished drywall, as it permits sanding of one wall forming the corner without abrading the orthogonal wall.
The sanding sponge is adapted to be removably attached to a commercially available pole sander. A hook and loop type fastening material, such as xe2x80x9cVelcroxe2x80x9d, is adhesively bonded to the top surface of the bottom portion of the sanding sponge, and a mating hook and loop type fastening material is attached to the end of the pole sander.
The sanding sponge may be included as part of a kit which also includes a hand sander base and a pole sander head. The sponge is a resilient foam sanding sponge having the shape of a right prism, a cross section of the sponge having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. The top surface of the sponge has a layer of hook and loop fastening material adhesively attached thereto. The bottom and lateral side surfaces have an abrasive coating, the end surfaces being free of abrasive material. The hand sander base includes a handle, preferably in the form of a C-shaped hand grip, attached to a flat, elongated, rectangular metal plate having a layer of hook and loop material adhesively fastened to its bottom surface for releasable attachment to the sanding sponge. The pole sander head is a flat, elongated, rectangular metal plate having a universal joint pivotally attached to its top surface and a layer of hook and loop fastening material adhesively attached to its bottom surface for releasable attachment to the sanding sponge. The sanding sponge may be used with the hand grip for drywall areas within arms reach, and then removed from the hand sander base and attached to the pole sander head for reaching drywall areas which are beyond arm""s length.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a sanding tool having acutely angled opposed edges on its bottom surface to maximize its efficiency when used for sanding corners and angles of dry wall.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sanding sponge which may be releasably attached to either a hand sander base or a pole sander head.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sanding sponge kit with a hand sander base and a pole sander head, the sponge being releasably attached to the hand sander base or the pole sander head quickly and easily through the use of hook and loop fastening material.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a sanding sponge kit which may be used for sanding open expanses of drywall as well as finishing drywall corners either by directly by hand or using an extension pole.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.